Gideon Grey's Stories
by Jamesbondfan2016
Summary: Jamesbondfan2016 Presents! Gideon Grey has had a complex life to say the least, and his stories deserve to be told! Join the finest pastry chef in the tri-burrows on his adventures! Update: What Breaks Us, What Defines Us
1. Customer Service

**Hello everyone! **

**I really enjoy the world and characters of Zootopia, but there was one character I felt was underutilized, and that is Gideon Grey. I decided to create this little series of one shots to feature him, and maybe some other characters if I so decide. **

**The chapters have the potential to be multi-parted. I like to write short chapters, but I also have many ideas that I want to explore, so I'll try to be concise, but some chapters will be longer than others. Also, if any chapters deal with dark subject matter that might upset some readers (I rarely write these kinds of things but it may happen) I will provide a trigger warning at the beginning of those specific chapters.**

**If you have any ideas or questions about any potential one shots, feel free to PM me or leave a review, and I'll let you know. One account holder has already messaged me with some great ideas that I'll be utilizing soon.**

**First though, I'll be telling a story that just popped in my head one day, so, let's begin!**

**CUSTOMER SERVICE**

Gideon Grey stood behind the counter of his bakery, watching the clock with slight excitement. While he enjoyed his job as a baker, he loved watching football too. Tonight, was the Zootopia Prowlers against the Burrow Hoppers, and Gideon expected the Hoppers to do well. The Prowlers have a good defense of rhinos, but nothing can stop the Hoppers slick offense.

Gideon tapped his paw, waiting for the hour hand to point at six, so he could sit in his lazy boy with a nice cold one, and watch those Hoppers, dominate, but he still had five minutes left.

The door of the shop opened. Gideon immediately returned to customer service mode and put on a smile.

"Good afternoon folks, how can I help you today?" Gideon smiled.

Who entered was a short female black sheep, just around Gideon's age. She looked at Gideon with an unreadable expression. She seemed angry and happy at the same time.

"Hello, I've come to make a delivery order." The sheep said with a calm tone.

Gideon was taken aback by her facial expression but did not ponder on it. As a business owner, he gets all types of people in his shop. There was something about this sheep though. Gideon couldn't put his claw on where he saw her before.

"Sure thing ma'am." Gideon got his pad and pencil out, along with a menu of all of Gideon's products, which he handed to the sheep, "I'll give you a minute to decide."

Gideon glanced at the clock. Three minutes to closing.

"Alright." The black sheep spoke up, making eye contact with Gideon, "I'll take the strawberry pound cake, the carrot cake, and a red velvet." She handed the menu back to Gideon.

"Sounds delicious!" Gideon said, after tucking the menu away, "All six-inch rounds?" Gideon asked and the sheep nodded. "Alright, so three, delivery fee, and tax, comes out to eighty dollars."

The black sheep's expression did not change, "But I don't think it'll be that much for me, will it?"

Gideon looked at her with confused eyes, "I'm afraid not. Three six inch round cakes at twenty dollars each, five for tax, five for delivery. No exceptions, I'm afraid."

"You don't remember me, do you Gideon?" The sheep asked.

"I'm afraid not. Do I know you?" Gideon looked across the counter more carefully.

"It's me Gideon, Sharla Lambsky." She said simply.

Gideon's eyes went wide at the name, "Sharla? I haven't seen you since elementary school…"

"I know." She interrupted. "My family moved away during my fifth-grade year. They were tired of living in a community where predators could do whatever they wanted without consequence."

Gideon's hand began to tremble. He was beginning to remember what she was referring to.

"L-l-listen Sharla," Gideon began, his nervous stutter beginning to shine through, "if this is about what happened when we were k-kids, I'm sorry. I had a lot of self-doubt and it manif…"

"Oh, don't give me that pre-prepared psychology mush! You hurt me and my family, and I'm going to make sure you pay for it." Sharla stated.

Gideon nervously licked his lips, "S-s-Sharla, I can't d-d-do anything to change the p-p-past, b-b-but I can…"

"Give me these cakes I ordered and have them be on the house." Sharla stated.

Gideon looked down at the counter, beginning to feel cornered. His hands were trembling, and his tail wrapped itself around his leg. His knees felt like they were going to buckle at any second.

"Do we have an agreement, G-g-g-Gideon?" Sharla mimicked.

Gideon blinked, still not making eye contact, "S-sure."

"Heh, you used to be so tough, now look at you." Sharla put her purse on her left shoulder, and turned to leave, before turning back to Gideon, "Be sure to have those cakes at the civic center by three on Thursday." She then smirked and left.

Gideon watched her go, once she was out of sight, he began to tear up.

"No, no, no. Don't start. It's just three cakes, it'll be fine." Gideon told himself.

Gideon allowed himself to sit on the floor, and he reached for one of the pies he prepared for today, and dug into it with his paw, and began to sob.

"I deserve it." Gideon told himself.

o0o

Thursday arrived, and Gideon was in the back of his shop putting the final touches on Sharla's red velvet cake. He then sealed it in a cake container and put it on a tray with the other cakes. It was two twenty, plenty of time. Just then, the bell at the front door rang out.

"Be with you in a moment!" Gideon yelled into the shop.

"Well, don't keep us waiting too long, someone's got a hankering for blueberry pie!" A familiar voice rang out.

Gideon smiled, and rushed back to the front. Sure enough, two grey ears were the first thing he saw, followed by the familiar form of Nick Wilde waiting for some pie.

"Judy, Nick!" Gideon smiled as he walked around the counter to greet them. Judy greeted him with a hug, which he returned, after letting go, he turned to Nick, and gave him the traditional fox greeting. They gave a fist bump, then let out a fox bark. The two laughed. "How've you guys been?!"

"We've been good. Had a hard case a few months ago. Someone stole the mayor's pet fish, Vince, and, whew is it a long story!" Judy laughed.

"Yeah, turns out it was Weaselton up to his old tricks." Nick chimed in.

"But we're here for the weekend, visiting my parents, and we came to get a slice of blueberry pie." Judy explained.

Gideon laughed, "Of course, anything for my two favorite cops."

Gideon reached down and grabbed two plates, and cut two pieces of blueberry out, and served them to the grateful customers.

Nick and Judy let out a satisfied sigh after their first bite.

"I don't know how you do it bud, but this pie is to die for." Nick complemented.

Gideon chuckled, but then looked up at the clock. Two forty-five.

"Oh no." Gideon said, and rushed to the back of the store, grabbed his tray, and ran back to the front.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked.

"Delivery, at three, civic center." Gideon said as he ran out the front. Judy and Nick put down their plates and followed him.

"Can we help?" Nick asked.

Gideon looked up, "Yeah, Nick can you watch the store? I don't want to leave it unoccupied for too long." Nick nodded, and Gideon turned to Judy, "Judy, could you come with me?"

Judy nodded, "Of course."

Gideon finished loading up, and he and Judy got in the van and drove off.

o0o

Gideon and Judy arrived ten minutes later and ran to get the cakes out. He and Judy ran up the stairs of the civic center, where they met Sharla. Sharla turned from who she was talking to about the work party she was attending and faced Gideon.

"Sharla?" Judy inquired.

Sharla looked at Judy, "Judy!" She lifted her arms for a hug, which Judy went in for.

Gideon began to shake when Sharla turned her attention back to him.

"They're all there?" She asked the fox.

Gideon nodded, not making eye contact.

"I'm sorry, speak up, and look at me when I'm talking to you." Sharla ordered.

Gideon looked up at her.

"Hey, that's a little demeaning." Judy said to Sharla.

Sharla turned to face Judy, "Well, you know foxes, can't follow complicated directions."

"All th-th-th…" Gideon stopped and took a breath, "All th-th-three cakes are he-he…"

"See, they can't even form a sentence." Sharla laughed.

Judy looked at her with angry eyes, "That's not funny Sharla. Now I expect you to apologize and tip Gideon for insulting him."

Sharla scoffed, at looked at Judy with confused eyes, "A tip? Why would I tip him? After everything he did to us, to me, you expect me to give him money? No, he should apologize for what he did."

Judy looked at Gideon, who's shaking was becoming more and more apparent, "Sharla, that was a long time ago. Gideon's changed."

Sharla rolled her eyes, "Oh Judy, you always were naïve, nobody changes. Once a bad person, always a bad person. I'm just making sure this bad person gets his just deserts."

Judy looked at her former friend with anger, "No, someone can change, and you're proof of it."

Sharla looked at her with distain, "Fox lover." Sharla walked over to Gideon, and took the tray from his shaking hands, "I swear, if these are burned or anything, you'll have a lot to face up to."

Judy fumed, she walked over to Sharla and reached for one of the cakes.

"Could I just check it? Make sure its alright." Judy asked. She opened the red velvet, "Oh, it's so beautiful. That's a pity." Judy smashed the cake right into Sharla's face.

Gideon's eyes widened and he began to chuckle.

"Judy!" Sharla shouted.

Judy grabbed Gideon's paw and the two ran out.

Once outside, the two hopped back into the truck. Gideon let out a breath. His hands were still shaking, but he was laughing.

"Oh, that was good Judy! You nailed her!" Gideon laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I did that to one of your cakes, I know you probably worked hard on it." Judy apologized.

"Yeah, well, it was free, so…" Gideon began.

"Wait, you gave her free cakes? Why?" Judy asked.

Gideon looked down, feeling ashamed, "Because, I think she's right."

Judy was taken aback, "Gideon, she's not…"

"But she is." Gideon looked at Judy with tears in his eyes, "I did horrible things to you guys. I picked on Sharla and her brother so badly they had to move, and I never faced any consequences. I was a horrible fox."

Judy put her hand on his shoulder, and looked at him with sympathy, "Key word there, 'was'. You're a good person now Gideon. You can't spend your entire life making up for things that you did when you were ten. You can only focus on the here and now, and the here and now Gideon is a very good fox, and the best pastry chef in the tri-burro… No, the best in the world."

Gideon looked at Judy, and let the tears fall. Judy pulled him in for a hug.

"Oh, you foxes, so emotional." Judy said to herself.

o0o

After Gideon was all cried out, he and Judy made their way back to the shop. When they arrived, they saw a group of unhappy looking customers.

"Uh-oh." Gideon said.

Judy and Gideon rushed back inside, and saw Nick cowering under the counter, an old female armadillo, and a line from the register.

Judy bent down to Nick, "Nick, what happened?"

Nick looked at her with scared eyes, "She wanted cherry pie. I said we're out of cherry pie. She said she wanted cherry pie. I said we're out of cherry pie…"

Nick continued rambling, while Gideon took over the register.

"Yes Mrs. Dilleo, how can I help you?" Gideon asked.

"I want cherry pie." Mrs. Dilleo responded.

"I'm afraid we're out ma'am." Gideon told her.

"I want cherry pie." Mrs. Dilleo repeated.

"How about pecan pie? I know you like that." Gideon smiled at her.

There was a beat of silence.

"I want pecan pie." Mrs. Dilleo responded.

Gideon got a pecan pie out, and gave it to Mrs. Dilleo, who in turn threw a twenty-dollar bill at Gideon.

"Thank you, have a good day ma'am!" Gideon called.

"I want pecan pie." She said as she was leaving.

Gideon nodded, then turned to the next customer, "Sorry about the wait. How can I help you?"

After a long string of patrons, and help from Judy and a recovered Nick, Gideon managed to save the bakery from a dreaded one-star review on Mammal-Review. Nick and Judy were sitting in the back room resting their paws. Gideon walked back to join them.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that. Thank you for the help." Gideon stated.

"It was no problem." Judy said.

"Yeah, for you! I'm glad I'm a cop. Armed robbers I can handle, but customer service, no way." Nick stated.

Gideon laughed. The front doorbell chimed suddenly. Gideon walked out to the front.

"How can I…" Gideon paused when he saw who it was. Sharla, who had yet to pick all the bits of red velvet from her fur, and her brother, Gareth.

"Hey Gideon." Gareth said with a sad smile.

Gideon began to shake again, "H-h-hey Gareth."

Gareth looked at his sister, "I've come here, cause my sister has something she wanted to tell you." Gareth elbowed his sister.

"Yeah, alright." Sharla began, "I'm sorry for the insulting way I treated you, you're not who you were fifteen years ago, I'm sorry."

She was clearly being made to say it, but Gideon didn't care. He smiled at her.

"Apology accepted." Gideon stated simply.

Gareth stepped forward, and set some money down on the counter, "And I believe we owe you this." The two then began to walk out.

Gideon walked over to the money, and his eyes widened at the two one-hundred dollar bills, "Gareth, the order was just eighty." Gideon told him.

Gareth smiled, "A tip for splendid customer service."

Gideon smiled, and opened the cash register, and put the money in as the two sheep walked out of the shop.

Nick and Judy were standing in the doorway and saw most of what had happened.

Gideon turned to them and smiled, "So, you guys want to join me upstairs to watch the game? The Hoppers are taking on the Island Pirates."

Judy smiled, "Oh, the Hoppers'll clobber them! Let's go!" Judy yelled.

Nick rolled his eyes, and smiled, following his partner in the backroom and up the stairs towards Gideon's apartment.

Gideon smiled at the two, then walked to the door, locked it, and flipped the open sign to close.

**Fin**

**So that's a wrap! Let me know what you thought and if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, conspiracy theories, mathematical equations, universal musings, anything! Reviews are always appreciated!**

**R&R **


	2. Therapy

**Thank you all for the positive vibes you gave the first story! Now on with the second one!**

**Therapy**

Samantha Venson is a psychologist at the Bunnyburrow Medical Center, and she has very few clients, but the ones she does have she cares for with great dedication.

One such client was a kind-hearted baker fox living in the burrow. His name, Gideon Grey, and he had an appointment this afternoon.

To refresh her memory, she looked at Gideon's case file.

_Name: Gideon Grey_

_Age: 25_

_Species: Red Fox_

There were more lines with general information about Gideon listed below. Samantha remembered her first session with Gideon fifteen years ago.

o0o

Having just finished graduate school with a master's in psychology, the young doe was ready to make her mark on her hometown of Bunnyburrow. Her family were the only deer in the entire burrow, so she related to the predator animals who often felt misunderstood. That's why she choose to major in psychology with an emphasis in predator studies. She graduated with honors and was easily accepted into Zootopia University's Predator Psychology Graduate program. When she graduated, the first place she thought of to get experience was in Bunnyburrow, where the predators often didn't have an expert specifically for them.

That's where Gideon Grey came in. While only ten, his mother felt Gideon should see a specialist in predator behavior, as the child psychologist in town mainly saw to prey mammals. As the only predator psychology expert in town, the case immediately went to her.

She studied Gideon's file carefully, seeing what occurred to make both Gideon's mother and the school so concerned.

"Okay," she said to herself, "pattern of aggressive behavior to prey animals, petty theft, bouts of anger and aggression at all teachers."

Samantha pondered over this information, but she decided that she couldn't make a judgement until she got to know Gideon.

The next day, Samantha sat in her office, dressed professionally in a black pantsuit with a blue blouse.

"Miss. Venson?" The intercom rang.

Samantha pushed the response button, "Yes?"

"A Gideon Grey to see you ma'am." The receptionist responded.

"Right, send him in." Samantha said, adjusting herself to look as professional but unintimidating as possible.

The door rushed open, and in walked a short red fox with a green plaid shirt and denim overalls. He rushed over to the couch and laid back, putting his front paws behind his head.

Samantha was unphased by Gideon's rushed entrance, she guessed by the file that he would not be the politest person.

"Hello Gideon. How are you today?" Samantha asked gently.

Gideon rolled his eyes, "Can we just get on with this? Just ask me some questions so I can go."

Samantha nodded, "Alright, why do you think you're here?"

Gideon took his right paw from behind his head, and began using his claw to clean with fangs, "Because a bunch of cry babies went to the principal, and being a sheep, couldn't wait to punish a fox."

"So, you think you're being punished?" Samantha crooked her eyebrow.

"Well I sure ain't getting an award side eyes." Gideon chuckled.

Samantha chuckled along with Gideon, "Side-eyes, on account of where my eyes are on my head. That's a good one, I never heard that one."

Gideon blinked at Samantha, clearly surprised that she laughed at his insult, "I guess deer are as stupid as everyone says they are, can't tell a…"

Samantha kept laughing, interrupting Gideon.

"Stop it!" Gideon shouted, sitting up.

Samantha kept laughing.

"I mean it!" He stood up, facing Samantha.

She didn't stop.

"I swear I'll…"

"Do what?" Samantha said, suddenly ceasing her laughter, "You'll scratch my face? Bite my arm? Growl at me? You know, predator stuff?"

Gideon was taken aback, "Well, yeah! So quit laughing!"

"Why? I thought your insult was very cleaver!" Samantha reasoned.

Gideon turned back to the couch and sat down, "It wasn't supposed to be funny."

Samantha looked at Gideon with interested eyes, "Then what was it supposed to be Gideon?"

Gideon looked at her with confused eyes, "Insulting." Gideon answered.

Samantha nodded, "Why would you want to insult me? You don't even know me."

Gideon's eyes started getting angrier, "Because you're a deer."

Samantha looked at him with confused eyes, "Why should that matter?"

Gideon blinked at her, "Because… because… i-i-it means that…"

_He's stuttering. _Samantha thought, _He didn't before, but he's nervous._

"…that…" Gideon tried to find a good excuse.

"That?" Samantha encouraged.

Gideon's eyes became more frustrated, "All you prey animals are the same!" Gideon stood up and walked to the other side of the office near Samantha's book case, "You think you're so special with your veggie diets, and your farms, and your money! Your mom and dads always looking out for you and you can be _anything you want_." He said that last part in a mocking tone.

"Can't you be anything you want Gideon?" Samantha asked.

"No! I'm a fox! I have to be what others say!" Gideon vented.

Samantha was surprised at how easily she was getting Gideon to open up, she thought it would take longer.

"What do others say you have to do?" Samantha asked.

Gideon looked up at a little circle mirror that Samantha kept on her bookcase, "To be like my dad."

Samantha looked at him with confused eyes, "And what would that be?"

Gideon stiffened up. He began to breathe heavily. Then he grabbed the mirror, and smashed it on the ground, "I'm not like him!" Gideon shouted.

Samantha looked at him with surprise.

Gideon's face suddenly became sadder, "I'm not."

Gideon put his back against the wall and slid down, sitting on the floor, refusing to look at Samantha.

Samantha stood up and walked over to him, careful not to step on any glass. She noticed that Gideon had a piece of glass in his right bottom paw. It was bleeding a little. She walked over to her desk drawer and grabbed a pair of tweezers and a band aid. She came back to Gideon and got the glass out.

"What are you doing?" Gideon asked.

"Helping you." Samantha said simply.

Gideon blinked at her, "Why?"

Samantha looked at him, "Because you cut yourself."

Gideon looked down, embarrassed, "No prey has helped me."

Samantha smiled at him, "First time for everything."

Gideon looked at her, then back down at the floor, "Doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?" Samantha looked at him with questioning eyes.

Gideon didn't respond, he just looked down.

Samantha sighed, then stood up. She chuckled to herself. She then took one of her books at threw it on the ground.

Gideon jumped at the thud it made, "What are you doing?"

"Sometimes you gotta let the anger out right? Come on, grab one!" Samantha laughed.

Gideon looked confused, then smirked. He grabbed a book and threw it on the ground. Samantha did the same, and they continued this until there were no books left on the self.

After that, they sat back down.

"There, feel a little bit better?" Samantha asked.

Gideon cracked a smile, "Yeah, a little."

Samantha nodded, "That's one way to get the anger out. Next time, instead of scratching a bunny, tear apart a carrot, that'll help."

Gideon nodded, "Alight, I'll try."

Samantha nodded. She knew he wouldn't change overnight. There would be more incidents with Gideon and prey mammals in the future, but he made progress today, and that's what matters.

o0o

Samantha thought of all of this while she sat at her desk fifteen years later.

"Hey Sam." The intercom suddenly rang.

"Yeah Stacy?" Samantha responded.

"Gid's here to see you."

"Oh good, send him in." Sam said simply.

Gideon walked in, wearing his untucked plaid shirt and blue jeans with visible flour stains on them.

"Hey Sam, good to see ya!" Gideon said as he walked in and gave her a hug.

Samantha returned it, "Good to see you to Gid. How's business?"

Gideon released the hug and sat down on the couch, "Going pretty well, got a new partner, the Hopps family farm, so that's huge."

"That's wonderful!" Samantha said as she sat down.

"Yeah, but what I wanted to tell you was I saw Judy." Gideon said.

"Judy Hopps?" Samantha asked.

Gideon nodded.

Samantha remembered the first time Gideon mentioned Judy.

o0o

It was their third session. Gideon had begun to open up more to Samantha, but there were somethings that she knew not to touch on, namely his father.

At the moment, however, Gideon was ranting about a fellow student at Bunnyburrow Elementary named Judy Hopps.

"She just, she doesn't understand reality! She just goes on and on about being a cop! Cop this and cop that! 'Oh I'm Judy, I'm completely delusional and won't shut up!'" He said in his Judy impression voice.

Samantha looked down at Gideon's paws, "I see you took my carrot advise."

In Gideon's right paw was the remains of a carrot that he took out when he started his rant. It was mush, and he had only been talking about her for forty seconds.

"Yeah, she's lucky I did! It's all that keeps me from AH!" He said as he made a punching motion.

"No fights lately?" Samantha asked.

Gideon nodded, "Yeah, but it's hard, one time a weasel stepped on my tail and it took all my inner cool not to AH!" He repeated the motion.

"Well that's very good Gideon." Samantha smiled.

"Yeah, but Judy! UGH!" Gideon groaned.

"What about Judy makes you so angry?" Samantha asked.

"She's annoying! She just has that kind of voice that eeee, and that kind of face, and she's so happy and peppy constantly, it makes me angrier." Gideon fumed.

"So her being happy, makes you mad?" Samantha asked, "Why do you think that is?"

Gideon paused before answering, "I don't know. I guess…"

Samantha looked at him, "You guess?"

Gideon looked sadder, "Because she's happy, and I'm not."

Samantha nodded, "It's hard to be around people that are very upbeat when you're not. But you've kept your cool, and I'm proud of you."

Gideon looked up at her, and cracked a small smile, "Thanks Miss. Venson."

"You can call me Sam." She smiled.

"Okay Miss. Venson." Gideon laughed.

She laughed as well.

o0o

Samantha nodded at the memory, "How'd that go?"

Gideon smiled, "It went better than I thought it would. The Hopps' warned me that she would be there when I got there, so I had time to prepare myself. Didn't say everything I wanted to though."

Samantha nodded, "We rarely do."

Gideon nodded, then sighed, "Anyway, she ran off on some case, and I haven't seen her since, but she told her folks that she'll be coming back around for a few days next weekend."

Samantha smiled, "Oh, so you could see her then, maybe take her down to the pie shop, show her your accomplishments."

Gideon nodded, "Yeah, that could be a lot of fun! She'll also be bringing her partner Nick, but the way she talks about him, I'd say he's more than just her partner." Gideon winked.

Samantha laughed, "Speaking of which, how's your search going?"

Gideon's smile faded, "Oh, yeah, I-I-I'm not r-r-really looking right n-n-now."

Samantha nodded. Gideon was never comfortable talking about his romantic life.

o0o

The topic first came up when Gideon was fourteen, just finishing up middle school, when he was accused by some of his friends of being gay.

"It's just, I-I-I don't k-know, I mean, I never e-even…" Gideon stuttered after Samantha asked him about an incident involving him and one of his friends getting into a fight.

"Gideon take a breath, you're stuttering on 'e', you've never done that. You also haven't started a fight in four years, what caused you to become so defensive?" Samantha asked.

"Because… because I…" Gideon paused.

"You?" Samantha encouraged.

"Okay, I think some of the guys at school are cute, and I don't feel that way about any of the girls, but that doesn't make me gay, right?" Gideon asked.

Samantha nodded, "Not necessarily, no."

Gideon shook his head, "No, no, I freaked out because, I think it's true. I think I'm…"

Gideon took a long pause, then he sat down on the couch in total silence, before speaking again, "Can we please talk about something else?"

Samantha nodded while she wrote a new item on her 'sensitive topics' list.

o0o

"Yeah, people are still a little freaked by the whole 'predators going savage' thing, which makes dating in a mostly prey area very difficult." Gideon frowned.

Samantha nodded at him, "Well, I know this has been a tough road for you, but you've proven people wrong before, and you'll do it again. I believe in you."

Gideon smiled at her, "Thanks Sam."

Sam nodded, "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Gideon sat silently, before he finally spoke up.

"I want to talk about my dad."

**Whoa! What! A cliff hanger! Could I possibly be leading into another story?! Maybe…**

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reception to this story, it makes me so happy. I'm happy to see I'm not the only one that enjoys the lovable fox baker of Bunnyburrow. **

**Be sure to leave a review with any comments, concerns, questions, questions about concerns, concerns about questions, questions about comments, questions about comets, answers about comets, what was I saying?**

**Thank you again! **

**R&R **


	3. Beating the Heat

**Thank you all again for the positive reception to this collection of stories! **

**Today's chapter features story ideas from BarnMaker mixed in with my own ideas! They've been suggesting story ideas for a few weeks now, and I figured I better deliver!**

**This chapter is not connected with the previous one, I need more time to plot that one out, so I'll give you this nice fun cute one. **

**WARNING: Contains mentions of nudity (nothing descriptive however, similar to the film) and a minor innuendo. **

**Thank you all so much for reading, it means so much to me! Now on with the story!**

**Beating the Heat**

Gideon Grey tapped his foot anxiously. Judy was due to arrive at any minute with her partner Nick Wilde. While he had seen Judy and Nick a few times during their visits, this time was different. They were staying with him.

It was Stu Hopps' fiftieth birthday, and the family was going to surprise him with a party, with Judy being the surprise guest. To make this work, Judy and Nick had to stay with someone else, and the only mammal with any spare room was Gideon.

Gideon stood on the station platform, waiting for the 2:15 from Zootopia to pull in. He was baking in the summer sun; the heat index was ninety-eight degrees and rising. He went over to one of the water fountains, however when he pushed the button, very little water was released. He then remembered that Bunnyburrow was experiencing a drought, and all water reserves were being prioritized to the farmers. He tried to sip as much as he could, but he barely got any.

He then heard a whistle from down the tracks. His ears perked up as he looked down the tracks and saw the orange bullet train making its way into the station.

As the train slowly pulled up to the station, the doors opened, and a few animals emerged to disembark. Then a distinct pair of tall grey ears appeared in Gideon's eye line. He brought his glance down and met Judy's violet eyes.

"Judy!" Gideon waved.

Judy rushed over to him, leaving Nick who was just exiting the train with his suitcase, to chase after her.

"Hey Gid! How are you?" Judy smiled as she gave Gideon a small hug.

"Oh, you know, dying of heat stroke." Gideon laughed.

Nick approached the two, "Yeah, it's a hot one today. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to sit in a cold bath right now. The train's AC was out!"

Judy nodded, "Yeah, a bath would be heaven."

Gideon sighed, "I'm afraid I won't be able to provide. We're having a drought and are on water restrictions."

Judy and Nick groaned as Gideon led them to his truck. After depositing their bags in the trunk, Judy and Nick joined Gideon in the front, Judy in the middle, being the smallest. Gideon had the AC cranked to max, though it did little good. His truck's fifteen-year-old cooler was no match for the Bunnyburrow summer sun.

As he drove off, Gideon had an idea.

"Hey, I know! Why don't you guys go down to Fox's pond?" Gideon suggested.

"Fox's pond? What's that?" Judy questioned.

"It's a small lake that my family used to use when we first moved to the Burrow. Many folks don't live there anymore, and the ones that do never use it. It's nice and secluded." Gideon explained.

Nick sighed with relief, "That sounds great!"

Judy looked at Gideon with excitement, "Yeah, that's a great idea!"

The three decided to go over to Fox's Pond after settling in a bit.

The truck pulled up to Gideon's bakery, and Gideon parked the truck in the back of the shop. He then led them through the shop to the backroom. From there, a staircase led them upstairs to Gideon's apartment. It was a modest two-bedroom one bath, with a loft upstairs for Gideon. Gideon kept mattresses in the two spare bedrooms, though he mostly stored trays and other dishware in them. In the common area he had a sitting area with a loveseat and a recliner chair. He did not have a kitchen, as that was downstairs, but he had windows that overlooked his shop and the street below.

"Well, this is home." Gideon stated, "Both bedrooms are the same size, though the one on the right has a view of the outside, and the one on the left has a view of the building next door."

Judy and Nick looked at each other, and both ran to claim the room with a view. Judy beat Nick to it.

"Haha! Enjoy the brick Wilde!" Judy mocked.

Nick let out a disappointed snort, "Whatever, it'll be cooler in that one anyway."

"Not really, both are connected to the central ai…" Gideon began.

"Just let me have this." Nick interrupted.

"Okay." Gideon conceded.

Judy and Nick went to unpacking, while Gideon got some towels together.

He then heard a gasp come from Judy's room that made Gideon jump.

"What's wrong?! I just had pest control out, they told me they got everything!" Gideon exclaimed.

"No, I just realized, I didn't pack a swimsuit!" Judy said, disappointed.

"Neither did I. I didn't know this was going to be a swimming vacation." Nick stated.

Gideon looked confused at both of them, "You guys wear suits?"

"Um, yeah, what do you think we do?" Judy asked.

"Go in naked as nature intended." Gideon said simply, "You city folk are weird. Wear clothes to swim in, such a pain."

Nick chuckled, "Well, I'd be fine with that, but I know Miss. Uptight here won't have any of that."

Judy frowned, "I'm not Miss. Uptight, and I'll have you know I've gone skinny dipping many times. Just never with two male foxes."

Nick crossed his arms, "Well, first time for everything."

Judy blushed under her fur. There was another reason she wasn't comfortable with this, but she wasn't about to tell Nick that.

"What if someone sees us?" Judy asked.

"Oh, no problem there." Gideon responded, "The pond is very isolated behind many trees. Many folks don't even know it's there, and the ones that do, I know, and they'll leave when they see me there, so…"

Nick smirked, "It's very hot today carrots, come on, it'll be fun."

Judy sighed, "Alright, but only if you promise to keep your hands and eyes to yourselves."

Gideon chuckled, "I promise."

Nick continued his smirk, "I cross my heart."

The trio headed out, it was a good ten-minute drive to the pond from the town center, and just as Gideon said, it was quite and secluded, not a soul around for miles.

Gideon turned off the truck, and hopped out, grabbing the towels. Nick and Judy followed him down to the pond.

"There it is, isn't it pretty?" Gideon asked.

It was, the trees surrounding it were lush and green, and the water was blue clean. Bugs were few, except the occasional butterfly, bee, and mosquito.

Gideon was the first to undress, he spoke as he unbuttoned his shirt, "Oh, this brings me back. Mom and I would come down here and get buckets of water for the laundry, our trailer didn't have any plumbing, and the laundry mat hadn't opened." He slide off his pants as he continued, "So we had to come here. We had some good times." He slid off his boxers as he finished.

Judy wasn't looking at him, but Nick nodded at his story, "Yeah, my mom didn't want to pay for water, so we would collect rainwater from the rainforest district." Nick explained as he began to undress, stopping when Gideon jumped in, "How is it?"

"Nice and refreshing!" Gideon exclaimed.

"Good!" Nick responded before continuing his story, "So we would store all this water in mason jars, shelves packed with them," Nick said as he slide off his boxers.

Nick continued to speak, as Judy's blush intensified under her fur. She looked at the ground, focusing on a little worm that was digging a new hole next to her paws.

Nick jumped in, making a smaller splash than Gideon did. He came up, and started laughing, "You're right Gid, this is marvelous!"

Gideon nodded at him, before looking up at Judy, who hadn't moved from her spot. Nick looked up as well.

"Hey, carrots! You alright?" Nick asked.

Judy looked up at him, and gave a brave smile, "Yeah. I'll be right in, you two, just talk, don't mind me."

Nick smiled and gave her a thumbs up. He turned back to Gideon.

"Amazing things our moms did." Nick stated.

"Yeah, raised us younglings, not an easy feat." Gideon agreed.

Nick nodded, "Yeah, what about your dad?"

Gideon looked down at the water, "Oh, I don't…t-t-t…talk ab-b-bout him much."

Nick nodded. He knew from his brief interactions with Gideon that when he begins to stutter, something is making him nervous, "Yeah, me neither. I didn't know him that well."

Gideon nodded, "Yeah, m-m-me n-neither."

Nick smiled at him, before looking back, and saw Judy, completely in the raw. She was just getting ready to jump in when she noticed Nick's gaze. At first, she blushed, but when she saw his mouth hanging open, she chuckled, "You'll get a mosquito bite on your tongue if you keep it like that."

Nick snapped his mouth shut and looked away from Judy until he heard a splash. Then he turned back to her, and let out an embarrassed smile, "W-w-well, was th-th-th-that so b-b-b-bad?"

Gideon looked at him with confused eyes, "You alright Nick?"

Nick looked back at Gideon, "Oh, yeah, t-t-totally."

Judy looked at him with a smirk, "Are you sure? I've never heard you stutter like that. Maybe it's too cold in here for you."

Gideon nodded, "Yeah, maybe you should go on shore and warm up a little."

"Oh, no! I'm good, I swear!" Nick exclaimed.

"Okay, still a little too hot to get out?" Judy asked with a smirk.

Nick blushed, "Um, yeah, I'm too hot to get out yet."

Judy chuckled. Gideon was right, this was fine.

o0o

After the trio swam around for a few hours, the sun began to set, and the sky was set ablaze in a beautiful pink and orange sky. Judy and Nick swam up next to each other.

"So," Nick began, "I think we've gotten to know each other much better than both of us thought we would on this trip."

"Yeah. You know, I want to confess something." Judy looked up at Nick, "I didn't want to come here, not because I was afraid of being naked, but I was afraid of…" Judy paused, and looked away from Nick, "What you would think of me."

Nick let out a small laugh, "Why should…" He paused when he realized what she was saying, "My opinion of you matters that much to you?"

Judy looked back up at him, "Of course, you're my closest friend, and I…" Judy put a hand on Nick's side, "I'd like us to be more than that."

Nick blinked and then smiled, "Me too carrots. Me too."

Nick leaned down and gave Judy her first real kiss.

Gideon floated on his back, watching the clouds go by, making shapes out of them.

"Fish, lobster, clam, strawberry, cake…" He continued as his stomach rumbled.

He righted himself onto his feet, and began to turn toward Nick and Judy, "He guys, we should probably start going before the mosq…" He stopped when he saw them kissing.

Nick and Judy pulled apart when they noticed Gideon's gaze, and smiled at him bashfully.

Gideon smiled back, "It's about time."

Nick and Judy let out small chuckles.

"Anyway," Gideon began, "we better go before the mosquitos get bad."

"Trust me sonny, bloodsuckers are the last of your worries." A gruff voice suddenly said.

The trio looked up and saw an old goat standing with a shotgun.

"I'm going to give ya'll to the count of fifty to get your clothes and get off my property." The goat said.

Never had three mammals ever swam, dressed, and ran so quickly to get back to a waiting truck.

Back in the front seat, the trio, wearing wet clothes since they could dry, panted. Nick and Judy looked angrily at Gideon.

Gideon looked straight ahead, "I guess that's why no one ever uses it anymore."

"You guess?!" Nick and Judy shouted at the same instant.

**Thank you for reading and thank you to BarnMaker for the swimming idea!**

**Feel free to PM me if you have any story ideas that you would like to see me adapt!**

**Please leave a review with any comments, concerns, questions, trivia, WWII facts, favorite font, or a funny story.**

**Thank you again!**

**R&R**


	4. What Breaks Us, What Defines Us

**Thank you so much for the positive reception to the last few chapters! **

**Let's get going with the next one!**

**TRIGGER WARNING: Depictions of child abuse.**

**What Breaks Us, What Defines Us**

Gideon Grey received an invitation from the annual Zootopia Culinary Competition based on the reception to his baked goods. Gideon was anxious, winning the Culinary Competition was the highest honor a chef could receive, and Gideon was determined to win for pastry chef. It would help his business immensely, and the prize money is nothing to scoff at either.

Gideon was pacing back and forth nervously on the station platform waiting for the 10:15 to Zootopia. He kept looking at the clock, and time refused to move faster for him, no matter how much he yearned it to.

He then heard the familiar whistle from off in the distance and looked up to see the train slowly emerging from the tracks. He grabbed his bags and began to walk toward the boarding zone.

"Gideon!" He heard a familiar voice call out.

Gideon turned around and saw the source, "Mr. and Mrs. H! How ya doing?"

The rabbit couple walked over to their business partner with smiles. Stu spoke first, "We're very excited to hear what happens in the city! You bring back that blue ribbon!"

Gideon chuckled, "I'll do my best sir."

"That's all you can do." Bonnie interjected, before going into the bag that she brought with her, and pulling out a jar of fresh blueberries, "Though these brand-new berries might help a little."

Gideon smiled, and accepted the jar, putting it in his bag as his train pulled up, "Thank you both so much! I'll call you as soon as I know something!"

Bonnie and Stu nodded, and waved as Gideon boarded the train and waved back at them.

Gideon quickly found a seat and looked out the window, as the fields of the burrow faded away, and were replaced by the intimidating sides of the boarder mountains.

o0o

For a four-year-old Gideon, police sirens were something of a normal occurrence. They used to scare him, and keep him up at night, but after a while, they became part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

The neighborhood was cheap and rundown. Streets were littered with disposed bottles and bags of trash. Gideon averaged about three pieces of glass in his paws every day, but he hardly felt it anymore. It was a part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Gideon did not have many friends. There were not a lot of children in this part of the burrow. His best friend was his stuffed bird, Beetle, named after his other best friend, a beetle that he had caught a year prior. Gideon didn't talk much to anyone, no one did. That's part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Gideon remembered how his mom would rock him to sleep. She was shacking, tears would sometimes land on Gideon's fur, but he didn't mind. Dad was never home before Gideon went to sleep. Dad's never were. That's part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

o0o

Gideon didn't realize he had fallen asleep while going through the Burrow Tunnel, until a loud announcement blared him awake.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Zootopia center station in about three minutes. This is a reminder to parents of elephant children, please keep your children from playing with our rodent passengers' cars." The announcement ended, and everyone stood up to get their belongings together, while Gideon did the same. By the time the train pulled in, Gideon was ready to disembark.

He made his way onto the platform and was immediately pushed around by the crowds of mammals all going different directions on their commutes. Lions, bears, elephants, giraffes, tigers, bunnies, elk, moose, all trying to get somewhere, and bumping into Gideon.

He eventually managed to make it to a crowded escalator, which brought him up to the crowded station lobby. He pushed through the crowd, beginning to hyperventilate. He managed to get outside, where more pedestrians and noise waited for him. He quickly crossed the street as soon as he could and ran into an empty alley way.

Gideon gasped for breathes. Sitting down against the brick sided building, trying to calm himself down.

o0o

Lightning didn't bother five-year-old Gideon Grey. Lightning was bright and purple and made cool shapes in the sky. Thunder, on the other hand, was a great fear, so when a storm came, Gideon feared the loud sounds of thunder would tear his little shack of a house a part. Everyone did, but that was part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

One day, Gideon was playing outside with Beetle and the beetle on the main street of his neighborhood. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Twister!" and a swarm of predators ran around Gideon. Gideon covered his face with his paws as Beetle and the beetle were kicked away from him. Panic was new for him, but it was a part of life in the predator part of Bunny Burrow.

After they passed him, a pair of familiar paws grabbed Gideon, and carried him to a dark underground room, filled with other predators. Gideon could barely breathe, and the heat was intense. He cried out for his mom, and she told him it would be alright. The room vibrated, and mammals screamed. Screaming was normal in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

When the twister was gone, people went back to their land to rebuild. All they needed was a few pieces of wood and some metal. Gideon didn't have to rebuild their house; twister had missed it. He never found Beetle and the beetle. He guessed they died. Death was normal in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

o0o

Gideon hadn't thought of that event in a long time. He never did well in crowds after that, but living in Bunnyburrow, there never was too many large crowds. In the city though, it was nothing but.

"I don't think I can do this. I can't." Gideon said to himself.

"Can't what?" He heard a voice say. He looked up toward the direction of the sound. He saw a young tiger, probably eight or nine, looking at him.

"Oh, hi there. Don't mind me, just taking a breather." Gideon faked smiled.

The young tiger approached Gideon, "My mom tells me not to talk to strangers, but Mrs. Trey says we should always help those in need. You look like you're in need."

Gideon was surprised by this young tiger's outgoing nature, "Well, those are both good pieces of advice. My name is Gideon Grey. What's yours?"

"Henry. Henry Michaels." Henry introduced himself.

Gideon held out his paw for a handshake, which Henry took, "Pleased to meet you Henry. See, we're no longer strangers."

Henry smiled, "So are you in need, Mr. Grey?"

"Gideon, please, and no, I just needed a quick rest." Gideon smiled.

"Henry Michaels!" Gideon suddenly heard a female voice shout, "You come back here this moment!"

Henry ran back to who Gideon assumed was his mother, "Sorry mom, I was just talking to this fox."

"Henry, how many times have I told you about talking to strangers?" His mother asked. Henry did not respond, and the mother turned her attention to Gideon, who had stood up and walked over to her outside the alley. "I'm sorry about that. He's very social."

Gideon chuckled, "It's no problem ma'am, kids can't help being curious."

"Well, nice to meet you, good day, come along." She said to Henry, quickly walking away, Henry's paw in hers. Henry waved bye to Gideon. Gideon waved back.

He took a deep breath and walked to his hotel. The competition had arranged for rooms to be provided for all the contestants. Gideon was put in the mid-sized mammal accommodations. After checking in and finding his room, Gideon got settled in, and laid down on the bed, before drifting off to sleep.

o0o

For six-year-old Gideon Grey, school in Bunnyburrow was tough. All the prey mammals always had new clothes and were always bathed and pleasant smelling. Gideon was none of those things. He was teased constantly for his appearance by the older prey animals. All the prey animals looked down on the predators, at least that's how it felt, given the way things were in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Gideon asked his mom how to deal with the teasing. She told him to turn the other cheek and try to get along. Gideon was getting frustrated by the constant teasing, so he decided to earn some extra money for himself. He had to work hard for it, everyone did in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Eventually, he had nearly enough money to buy himself a new set of clothes and a few bars of soap. Though, one day he woke up and found his money was missing. He looked everywhere for it but couldn't find it. He did notice his dad got a few more cases of beer. Theft was a common thing in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Gideon asked his dad what he should do when someone teased him. Dad punched him, and told him, "That." Gideon nodded, and fought back with violence, and became the terror of the school. Whenever he pushed someone down, they would sometimes ask, "Why?", and Gideon would respond, "That's the way things are done in the predator part of Bunnyburrow."

o0o

Gideon jerked awake, looked over at the clock, 3:30 AM. Gideon rubbed his face, "Why is this all coming back?"

Gideon let a few tears fall, before falling back asleep.

In the morning, Gideon got ready, and got some of his pies ready for the contest, using the special blueberries Bonnie gave him. He made them look as pretty and as tasty as he could, before wrapping them, and putting them in containers. He carried them down to the lobby where the event organizer was waiting, "Please place all submission items on the corresponding trays. They will be given to the judges later today."

Gideon found the right tray and deposited his pies but kept one in his paws. He then departed the hotel and headed to Judy and Nick's apartment.

He pressed the buzzer.

"Who is it?" He heard the garbled voice of Judy say.

"Pie delivery!" Gideon said happily.

The door suddenly unlocked, and Gideon made his way upstairs to the third floor. Gideon didn't even knock on the door before Nick threw open the door, "There you are! I've missed you!" Nick took the pie from Gideon's paw, "Oh, and hi Gideon."

Gideon chuckled, "Hey Nick."

Judy rolled her eyes before turning to Gideon and giving him a hug, "Hey Gid! How are you feeling?"

"Better now. They have the pies, that's done, now I just wait!"

"Waiting's always the worst part." Nick said with a muzzle full of blueberry pie, "You should've seen me waiting for my police academy acceptance letter. I was a wreak!"

Judy rolled her eyes once again, "Class act that one."

"Hey! This stuff is too good to keep waiting!" Nick said after swallowing.

Gideon chuckled, "Well I hope the judges are as impressed as you Nick."

Nick nodded, "If they don't give you the blue ribbon for this stuff, they're out of their minds."

Gideon and Judy sat down, chuckling at Nick.

"It's nice to see you again," Judy began, "you know, it's funny. There was a time when I couldn't imagine being your friend. Now, you're one of my best friends."

Gideon nodded, "Yeah, things change. People change. Hopefully for the better."

o0o

Ten-year-old Gideon Grey left the fair after Judy stole back the tickets, felling his time was being wasted there. He came home early and found his dad in the front room with a bottle in his right paw. This was a common sight for the predators in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

He asked Gideon why he was home so early. Gideon didn't respond. Gideon's dad lashed out, demanding an explanation. Gideon stuttered; Gideon was smacked. Gideon backed off; Gideon was pushed down. Gideon cried; Gideon was hit. Such incidents were not uncommon in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Mom entered the room. She tried to stop it, but Dad was determined. Dad got angrier. Dad hit mom with the bottle. Mom ran out. Mom called on the phone. Dad was taken away. Such stories were common. Gideon saw those police flashers and heard those sirens. No one took any notice. Police sirens were a normal part of life in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

Mom tried her best. She taught Gideon what she knew. She taught him to wash clothes, she taught him to work, she taught him to cook, and she taught him to believe. Belief was essential. Faith in tomorrow was needed. It was something everyone held in the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

"You'll do something great in your future." She told Gideon as she lays dying ten years later. "When you do, I want you to show what you did to me, in the place I raised you." Gideon understood. Gideon vowed to return there only once more, to the predator part of Bunnyburrow.

o0o

Gideon received a phone call from the event organizer. She called him down to the main event center. A crowd of hundreds were gathered, including Nick, Judy, and Gideon saw the little tiger boy, Henry Michaels, sitting in the stands by his mom and dad.

One by one, chefs received their awards. Finally, pastry chef came up.

The event coordinator took the stage, "We received more entries this year then we ever had. Each entry was deserving of this award in many ways, but one overcame the others. For his classic blueberry pie, the Zootopia Culinary Academy is pleased to give this award to Mr. Gideon Grey!"

Gideon let out a breath of relief and went up on stage to accept the ribbon. Ever shy and humble, Gideon said a simple "Thank you," and went back to his seat.

Gideon shook hands afterward with some of Zootopia's finest chefs, and some offered him jobs, which he politely turned down, preferring to keep his little shop in Bunnyburrow.

Finally, Nick and Judy came up to him.

"Congrats Gid!" Judy hugged him, "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Judy!" Gideon beamed.

Nick hugged him as well, a rare thing for Nick, "Great job bud, you deserve it."

Gideon chuckled as Nick pulled away. He was about to say something more before he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down and saw Henry Michaels, "Oh, hello Henry!"

"Congrats Gideon! I hope you got what you needed." Henry said.

Gideon nodded and he kneeled down, "I think so. Just remember Henry, you can be anything you want to be, except a criminal, don't do that."

Gideon heard Henry's mom chuckle behind Henry, "Good advice."

Gideon chuckled, "Good luck Henry." Gideon held out his paw to him.

"Likewise, Gideon." Henry took his paw.

Gideon chuckled, and stood up. He smiled at Mrs. Michaels, before the two walked away. Gideon then smiled at Nick and Judy.

"What's next for you?" Judy asked.

Gideon paused before smiling, "I have a promise to keep."

o0o

Gideon pulled onto the dirt road and pulled up in front of an old abandoned house. He stepped out of his truck and looked at it for a minute. He then pulled out his blue ribbon and held it up in front of him. "I did it, mom." He smiled. He then nodded, let a few tears drop, then got back into his car and drove out of the old abandoned predator part of Bunnyburrow.

**There we are! Fourth story done! Let me know what you think!**

**Feel free to PM me with story suggestions, as I may make them! This chapter was a blast to write, difficult and heavy, but a blast! Thank you all for joining me, and be sure to let me know what you think!**

**Until then…**

**R&R**


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